Clinical Trial Details
— Status: Completed
Administrative data
| NCT number |
NCT02522260 |
| Other study ID # |
YWengstrom |
| Secondary ID |
|
| Status |
Completed |
| Phase |
N/A
|
| First received |
|
| Last updated |
|
| Start date |
March 2013 |
| Est. completion date |
June 2021 |
Study information
| Verified date |
April 2022 |
| Source |
Karolinska Institutet |
| Contact |
n/a |
| Is FDA regulated |
No |
| Health authority |
|
| Study type |
Interventional
|
Clinical Trial Summary
This study on women with breast cancer during and after chemo- and hormonal therapy compares
the effect of different physical training programs on physical and mental well-being and
systemic inflammation mechanisms in blood. In a sub-group of participants, mitochondrial
biogenesis and function and other molecular processes in skeletal muscle biopsies are
studied. The women will be randomly allocated into three different intervention arms, a
control arm with usual care and two different training arms. All participants will respond to
questionnaires and have blood samples and taken and for a subgroup muscle biopsies before and
after the exercise intervention. Participants will be supported to uphold exercise through
collaboration with Friskis & Svettis and followed for 5 years. Some of the women will also be
asked to participate in an in depth interview about the experiences of exercise during
ongoing treatment. This study will contribute to increased knowledge about the type,
intensity and frequency of training that patients with breast cancer benefit most from with
regards to impact on physical and mental wellbeing. This knowledge is of great importance
since experience shows that patients and relatives often seek information about
rehabilitation, self-care and physical activity. The study will also contribute to the
improvement of the patients´ quality of life, ability to return to work, and reduce social
costs, but above all, increase the possibility for development and implementation of
evidence-based rehabilitation of women with breast cancer during and after active treatment.
Description:
Purpose The main aim is to, in women undergoing chemotherapy for breast cancer, explore how
different training interventions impact physical capacity and psychological well being.
Research questions
- Does PA improve the ability to return to work after breast cancer treatment is
completed?
- How do women with breast cancer during chemotherapy treatment respond to controlled and
supervised aerobic fitness training and a combination of aerobic fitness training and
strength training in physiological, structural and molecular outcome measures such as
muscular strength, aerobic fitness, muscle mass, mitochondrial density, gene activity in
muscle and B-Hb, s-CRP and other blood variables,?
- Is there a difference between the women in the aerobic exercise training group, the
combined aerobic and strength-training group and the control group regarding symptom
distress and health related quality of life?
- Are there any effects of exercise training on chemotherapy completion and
hospitalization rates?
- Is adherence to physical exercise impacted by the individuals' personality?
- Are there any remaining effects of the physical exercise intervention, on
cardiotoxicity, cognitive function, survival and morbidity, up to 5 years after
treatment is completed?
- Is the intervention cost-effective?
Study design and methods Participants A total of 240 women will be recruited from the
Department of Oncology Breast and Sarcoma units at Radiumhemmet and Södersjukhuset,
Karolinska University Hospital.
Inclusion criteria: patients up to 70 years with breast cancer Stage I-IIIa before the start
of chemotherapy. Exclusion criteria: patients with advanced disease, patients where physical
activity is considered contraindicated because of medical reasons such as heart or lung
disease, brain or bone metastases, cognitive dysfunction, and patients who do not speak or
understand the Swedish language.
Randomization The Clinical Trials Unit (KPE) at Radiumhemmet, Karolinska
Universitetssjukhuset, conducts inclusion to the study and randomization. The participants
are allocated to either two different training groups or a control group. The participants
are also randomized to a muscle biopsy (n=45) before and after the intervention.
Group 1) includes strength training of the large muscle groups (2-3 sets, 8-12 repetitions on
an intensity of 80 % of 1-RM) and 3x3 min high intensity aerobic exercise (16-18 on Borg
scale) on an exercise bike or treadmill twice a week for 16 weeks.
Group 2) includes aerobic exercise on an exercise bike or treadmill, 20 min of moderate
intensity (13-15 on Borg scale), and 3x3 min high intensity aerobic exercise (16-18 on Borg
scale) twice a week during 16 weeks.
Group 3) control group, will get standard information around physical activity during
treatment but no supervised training.
Data Collection Data will be collected for all study participants regarding demographics and
diagnosis, cancer treatment, laboratory and sick leave data (patient-reported), relapse,
survival, co-morbidity and cause of death in relevant registers.
- Data collection of demographic data occurs before (before randomization) and after the
intervention, and at three time points: 1 year, 2 years and 5 years after treatment is
completed. Baseline is about 5 weeks after surgery and before initiation of
chemotherapy.
- All participants that accept participation in the study will undergo a resting ECG
examination and will provide responses to a small, targeted set of heart disease history
questions.
- Muscular strength is measured with the instrument JAMAR that is a dynamometer, measuring
muscle strength in the hand. Lower limb muscle strength is measured through isometric
mid-thigh pull. This is assessed in all study participants at all time points: before
and the intervention, year 1, 2, and 5.. The instruments have good reliability and
validity.
- Before and after the intervention aerobic fitness (VO2-max) of the participants in the
intervention groups will be assessed with a submaximal exercise test. This will be
measured at all time points: before and the intervention, year 1, 2, and 5.
- Algometry, to measure pain sensitivity will be performed at time points: before and
after the intervention, year 2 and 5.
- Chemotherapy completion, hospitalization, hemoglobin-, lymphocyte- and platelet
concentrations during chemotherapy will be extracted from the patients' medical records.
- Blood sampling and muscle biopsy procedures will take place at the KPE lab Radiumhemmet,
Karolinska University Hospital, Solna. Muscle biopsies will be obtained under local
anesthesia in the m. vastus lateralis (approximately 100 mg) with a Bergström needle.
This takes place before the intervention starts and 48-72 hours after the last training
session. Mitochondrial density and muscle morphology will be analyzed. Venous blood is
sampled at time points: before and the intervention, year 1, and 5, for analysis of
white cell distribution, for markers of systemic inflammation, and markers of cardiac
damage
- Physical activity level and energy consumption is determined by ActiGraph GT3X
(Actigraph). Actigraph is a combined heart rate sensor and accelerometer that
continuously collects data. The method has been previously tested and is shown to have
good reliability and validity. In this project all the participants in the three groups
will be carrying an Actigraph for seven days, before the intervention. An Activity Diary
for daily subjective reporting of physical activity will also be used during the
intervention period.
Instruments
- Piper Fatigue Scale assesses fatigue in four dimensions. The scale has been shown to
have psychometric properties that are reliable for assessing subjective dimensions of
fatigue among Swedish populations of cancer patients. Data will be collected for all
study participants (intervention and control) before randomization and after the
intervention, and at 1 year, 2 years and 5 years after treatment.
- Memorial Symptom Assessment Scale (MSAS) assesses 32 common cancer-related symptoms. The
instrument is validated for Swedish patients with breast cancer. Data will be collected
for all study participants before randomization and after the intervention, and at 1
year, 2 years and 5 years after treatment.
- EORTC QLQ-C30 is a cancer-specific instrument that measures health-related quality of
life in terms of physical, emotional, social, cognitive and everyday function. Data will
be collected for all study participants before randomization and after the intervention,
and at 1 year, 2 years and 5 years after treatment.
- Sense of coherence (SOC) is a questionnaire, which shows how a person sees the world and
his own life as comprehensible, manageable and meaningful. Individuals with a strong
sense of coherence are able to mobilize the resources to manage their health during
illness and treatment. SOC short version consists of l3 questions that all participants
complete once before the start of treatment. The Swedish version of the SOC-13 has been
shown to have good validity and reliability. It has also demonstrated high internal
consistency.
- The Amsterdam Cognition Scan- an online neuropsychological test battery that measures a
broad variety of cognitive functions, measured five years following inclusion to the
exercise intervention
- Echocardiogram- to measure cardiac function, five years following inclusion to the
exercise intervention
Qualitative interviews
• Individual interviews about/around the experience of physical activity associated with
chemotherapy treatment will be carried out with 15 participants. An open question will be
asked, such as "Can you describe how you experienced the period of training?". Because of the
nature of this question, the women will have the freedom to narrate their stories, and the
interview will focus on elements that surface as significant. Supplementary questions will be
asked to create depth and further understanding of the phenomena.
Data Analysis Muscle and blood analysis: From 45 participants in the project, we plan to take
a muscle biopsy before and after the training intervention. The molecular exercise physiology
lab is fully equipped to store muscle biopsies and other biological material. Many methods
are set-up in our muscle lab and others are performed in different core facilities. Molecular
and biochemical analyses: Skeletal muscle biopsy samples are obtained with the percutaneous
needle technique. Analysis of protein content, CS activity, and immunohistochemistry will be
performed.
Quantitative Collected quantitative data will be analysed using parametric statistics for
normally distributed data and non-parametric statistics for non-normally distributed data.
Subgroup analysis will be conducted with a focus on the type of treatment. Power Calculation:
variable cancer related fatigue, selected significance level 0.05, power 0.80 = 240 patients
will be recruited in total to detect a statistical difference with medium effect size.
Qualitative Qualitative data from individual interviews with 15 patients will be analyzed
inductive with content analysis.
Workplan Data collection is currently ongoing and 80 patients are included in the study. With
the current inclusion rate the 240 participants will be included by the end of 2015.
To support the women to uphold PA after treatment is completed a collaboration has been
initiated with Friskis & Svettis in Stockholm, during the five year follow up period this
will encompass FaR (physical activitiy receipt) and invitations to motivational healthy life
style sessions three times a year, the sessions will also include information on longterm
effects/symptoms of treatment and support with self care.